Disney’s ‘Infinity’ is cross-platform sandbox experiment

A few days ago, Disney Studios sent out invitations for a January press event during which the company plans to reveal its new “gaming initiative,” Infinity. With such a bold term, it’s hard not to wonder what Disney has planning, and according to a series of images and videos leaked to Polygon.com, now we know.

Disney’s Infinity is set to be a cross-platform open-world experience with a heavy emphasis on storytelling. Available on consoles, iOS and Android with the ability to play between each, Infinity gives players control of fan-favorite characters from Disney and Pixar’s vast libraries of movies. As stated by Polygon, the videos (which are, at present, unavailable to the public or, sadly, us) show players jumping on buildings and structures, shooting ray guns, driving tanks, and engaging in “impromptu battles.” The game is also said to include multiple play styles, ranging from racing and battling to building and destroying. Disney seems to want to emphasize, however, that players won’t have to do anything, but rather that the experience will be their own to create.

Being developed by Avalanche Software, Infinity is likened to a larger version of Toy Story 3’s “Toy Box” mode, in which players could expand a virtual toy box and play with Toy Story characters however they saw fit. Not suprisingly, Toy Story 3 was also developed by the Salt Lake City-based Avalanche. In fact, Polygon reports that, in one of the videos, the developers note that Toy Box mode was the driving influence in creating Infinity.

Throughout their experience, Infinity players will be granted “playsets,” which include environments, toys, and (presumably) missions or stories. From there, players enter the worlds of the various characters and take control. Though Polygon does not refer to the game as an MMO, it does seem to be an online-multiplayer title, and with the cross-platform compatibility, it seems likely that worlds will hold more than a few players at a time.

Apart from the playsets, Infinity will introduce “the rumpus room,” which acts as a blank canvas for creation and play. Set outside of the game’s different worlds, the rumpus room is a place where players can take control of a character to build and free-roam in an environment that Polygon compares to Minecraft.

It’s hard to say what exactly Infinity will look and feel like without getting our hands on the video, but Disney seems to be committed to this idea, hoping to grow and expand the game beyond its already expansive nature. As for now, it sounds like it could be downright revolutionary, and we hope to be able to confirm it ourselves, soon.